New California guidelines will mandate “solar-ready” roofs

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, all new residential and commercial buildings in California will need to have “solar-ready” roofs thanks to new building guidelines approved by the California Energy Commission last week.

By Jeff Zagoudis, Associate Editor | June 5, 2012

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, all new residential and commercial buildings in California will need to have “solar-ready” roofs thanks to new building guidelines approved by the California Energy Commission last week. This does not mean, however, that all homes will have to have solar panels installed; they must simply be able to accommodate them.

After Jan. 1, 2014, when the new guidelines are scheduled to take effect, all new residential and commercial roofs will have to meet a series of ideal conditions as closely as possible to be deemed solar-ready, including:

- Having part of an angled roof facing south
- Having as much access to unobstructed sunlight as possible
- Having skylight and chimneys that can work around the system

The new standards build on the initial guidelines established in 1978, which the commission says have saved Californians $66 billion on their energy bills.

The solar-ready requirement is part of a larger group of new building guidelines approved by the commission; the others include updates on window insulation, lighting, and air-conditioning systems.